As fighting increases near Ukraine’s capital city of Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he will stay in Kyiv with the understanding that doing so puts his safety at risk. Friday morning, Russia claimed it had taken Kyiv’s airport, cutting the city off from the West.
The United Nations estimates 50,000 Ukrainians have fled the country, and that same number are believed to have evacuated from their homes.
More than 50,000 Ukrainian refugees have fled their country in less than 48 hours — a majority to Poland and Moldova — and many more are moving towards its borders.
Heartfelt thanks to the governments and people of countries keeping their borders open and welcoming refugees.
— Filippo Grandi (@FilippoGrandi) February 25, 2022
An official decree has banned men aged 18-60 from leaving Ukraine. Residents remaining in one part of Kyiv have been told to stay inside and make Molotov cocktails.
As the situation in Ukraine unfolds, Biden has reiterated that US troops will not go to Ukraine. However, 7,000 troops have been deployed to Germany. It’s expected they will be part of NATO’s Response Force when it is activated.
President Joe Biden attended a special NATO meeting Friday morning about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Russia has shattered peace on the European continent. What we have warned against for months has come to pass, despite all our efforts to find a diplomatic solution,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said. “We condemn Russia’s aggressions in the strongest possible terms. And call on Russia to immediately cease its military action.”
